University Southern California Trojans
Top-Ranked Women of Troy Are Ready For 2007
January 29, 2007 | Women's Water Polo
Jan. 29, 2007
2007 SEASON OUTLOOK
If you've been out of the water polo loop, let the Women of Troy clue you back in. There's no better time to hit the pool deck, catch some springtime sun, and watch some of the top women's water polo players in the nation -- and the world -- do what they do best:
Win.
To start with, the Women of Troy are stacked with familiar faces to go along with the team's No. 1 national ranking as the 2007 season starts up. Seniors Erika Figge and Brittany Hayes have been starting for the Trojans since their freshman year. They already have one NCAA championship tucked under their caps, and they are aiming to help lead their USC teammates to another one in 2007. Figge and Hayes are joined by four other seniors on the roster, one of whom is fellow U.S. National Team player Patty Cardenas. Sophomore Kami Craig also hails from that U.S. roster, and the foursome have hopes of making the 2008 Olympic team roster. But first, there is some serious collegiate business to take care of. Cardenas, Craig Figge and Hayes may enter the season with a red, white and blue target on their backs, but if opponents think that foursome is the only thing to worry about when the Women of Troy hit the pool, they'll learn quickly that there is more to this USC team than three senior starters. Just ask head coach Jovan Vavic.
"I think we have a very good combination of experience and youth, which I always find very important in winning championships," said Vavic, who has claimed two national championships with the USC women and three with the men, and who guided the Women of Troy through an undefeated regular season in 2006, finishing second in the NCAA Tournament after a last-second loss to UCLA in the championship to end the year with a 27-3 overall record.
"We have good experience and leadership with national team players plus Miranda Nichols, Marina Mayer and Jana Wenger. We are also balanced, in terms of having players in every position. I think this team will really be able to do anything."
Seniors Mayer and Wenger also were members of that 2004 NCAA championship team, and USC's sixth senior this year, Denise Madrid, was active in that 2004 season to help drive the Women of Troy toward that crown. Those six, along with junior driver Nichols -- another returning regular to the starting lineup -- help create a foundation of talented and knowledgeable leadership for this season's Trojan squad.
"We have a good group that knows our system and knows what it takes to go through a four-and-a-half month season. I really expect great things from them," Vavic said. "What's going to make our team even stronger this year is that we have a strong junior class who know the system and can make a impact."
Carrying the torch for the junior class is a talented batch of drivers, led by Nichols and also starring Veronika Bartunkova, Alison Riddle and Julie Spataru. Those four add another dose of depth to the Trojans' outside attack, bolstered all the more by the dangerous left hands of Hayes and Wenger, and the sharp-shooting skills of Cardenas and Figge.
And if you're thinking that the Trojans have been short-changed at the 2-meter spot by the graduation of Peter J. Cutino Award winners and national team players Moriah Van Norman and Lauren Wenger, worry not. Senior Mayer has the defensive role well in hand, and teams will be hard-pressed to keep sophomore national team standout Craig under control at set. The sophomore's power and skill at 2-meters, along with the addition of junior Carolyn Conway, who joined USC from Indiana last season, creates a balance to the Trojan game that will keep opponents guessing throughout the year.
Also pegged to factor in largely to the USC gameplan this season is newcomer Alexandra Kiss -- joining the team from Hungary -- and sophomores Jordan Anae and Michelle Stein, who plays on the U.S. Junior National Team. Add to that the freshman load of talent, highlighted by Forel Davies, Kally Lucas and goalie Tumua Anae, and the Women of Troy are all set with the depth charge that has become a staple of Vavic's USC teams.
"It's a very talented freshman class," Vavic said. "Those girls will be very crucial for us really quickly, and will really add to the depth and experience that we have. We have many good outside shooters and excellent 2-meter players, and our 6-on-5 will be very good with this unit. Because we have experience, we should be able to play intelligent defense."
Backing up that defensive stand will be returning goalie Whitney Morgan, who manned the cage full-time last year as a redshirt freshman. The 6-0 goalie is set to cap up once more for the Trojans, and will be backed up by talented newcomer Tumua Anae.
"Having Tumua in the cage adds some great competition in the goal," Vavic said. "Whitney is experienced and has worked hard the last couple years, so she knows the system. She is very mentally tough. Tumua also is doing a great job. She's very athletic and has a really natural ability in the cage."
Top to bottom, the future of the 2007 looks bright for the Women of Troy. The combination of national team talent, along with the leadership of strong junior and senior classes and the skill at the younger levels has Vavic confident in his program entering the year.
"I really like the enthusiasm on this team," Vavic said. "They work hard. This year is a great opportunity for our seniors to finish the season in the best way possible. The whole team has the desire to get it done."
USC opens its 2007 campaign on Thursday (Feb. 1) with a 3 p.m. match at Loyola Marymount before heading up to the Stanford Invitational Feb. 3-4.
